The Pet Supplies Blog - Pets, Dogs, Cats, Pet Supply Reviews, Equine, Rabbits, Aquariums

A new university study shows dogs, cats likely died from a combination of two contaminants per the associated press, this morning. I felt it crucial that we share this with our readers.

Much of this information is summarized from the Associated Press. --> More Pet Related Publications

More than 300 dogs and cats may have died this year as a result of eating contaminated pet food, a survey recently revealed.

The results of the Michigan State University study released last Thursday (November 29, 2007) showed that the cause of death may have been related to melamine and cyanuric acid, two food contaminants that are relatively harmless but which turned deadly when they were combined by pet food manufacturers.

"When combined, they form crystals which can block the kidneys," said Wilson Rumbeiha, an associate professor in Michigan State's Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health. "Unfortunately, these crystals don't dissolve easily. They go away slowly, if at all, so there is the potential for chronic toxicity."

Michigan State University based its findings on data collected from veterinarians, veterinary technicians and pathologists from April 5 through June 6. The survey was commissioned by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians.

Rumbeiha found that 347 cases met the criteria for what he called "pet food-induced nephrotoxicity." The cases involved 235 cats and 112 dogs.

There were no accurate counts that I know of previous to this study regarding how many pets had died from eating contaminated food, although estimates had run from a few dozen to several thousand.

The Michigan State University study found that more cats and smaller dogs got sick than larger dogs, and that the most cases of animals sickened by the contaminated food occurred in Texas, Illinois and Michigan.

Only about a quarter of the affected animals had a pre-existing condition that made them more susceptible, such as kidney or cardiovascular disease. This means that 3/4 of the pets were completely healthy as far as thier owners knew.

The contamination occurred when two vegetable proteins tainted with melamine were imported from China and used in pet foods sold in North America. Once the pets started dying, companies recalled thousands of varieties of pet food and treats sold under more than 100 brands.

Chinese authorities detained managers from companies linked to the contaminated pet food, and the country vowed to crack down on offenders.

Labels: Pet Food Recalls